tree surgery

tree surgery, practice of repairing damaged trees to restore their appearance and to arrest disease. Injured or diseased parts are first removed (even small cavities in the bark may harbor injurious fungi and insects), the surfaces are treated with antiseptics and healing aids, and the cavity may be filled with cement or some special material, e.g., composition filler or elastic cement. Professional tree surgeons commonly perform many tasks in addition to surgery that are difficult for the individual gardener e.g., large-scale pruning and providing proper support when needed.